Maine Coast Creamery

After immigrating to Maine from Haiti, Ismael Thadal met Molly Hodgkins. Together they began making ice cream at home, perfecting their recipes with the help of friends, family, and community members as taste testers. Confident they had created something special, they explored the idea of starting their own business.

After connecting with Maine SBDC Business Advisor Christina Dodge, they worked to develop a business plan and financial projections, acquire licensing for their dairy processing facility, and find a business loan banker. They also applied for a grant with the Central Maine Growth Council.

Maine Coast Creamery now produces high-quality, custard-based ice cream in small batches using pure, scratch-made ingredients and no pre-made dairy mixes. The future looks bright as they continue expressing their creativity through their artisan flavors and scaling their business sustainably.

Ismael comments, “Our work with Christina has not just ‘helped’ our business – it made it possible for us to bring our business to fruition. Christina has tirelessly offered her best advice, guidance, and listening ear to us for months as we navigated the ups and downs of starting our business. She has celebrated our wins with us and provided us with reassurance and motivation when we faced challenges. Her advice is always wise, selfless, and trustworthy.”